About the High Line

The High Line is a new public park, built on an elevated 1930s rail structure located on Manhattan's West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street. The first section of the High Line opened to the public in June 2009. The High Line is property of the City of New York, and is maintained and operated by the non-profit Friends of the High Line, in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

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[Cabbages grow at Stoneledge Farm in upstate New York]

There’s a new farmer’s market in the neighborhood– and it’s run entirely by students. Starting next week, you can stop by Wednesday mornings for some fresh seasonal veggies!

PS 11, an elementary school, is partnering with the Chelsea CSA to sell local, organic produce at affordable prices from Stoneledge Farm in upstate New York, part of an initiative at the school on healthy eating. There will be cooking demonstrations, recipes and tips to help families learn about the food and discover new ways to enjoy healthy, local, and seasonal produce. Next week, learn how to make Southwestern Slaw with bok choy and napa cabbage.

Friends of the High Line moved offices last month, and our new West Chelsea digs are a bit further from the subway. I’ve been using my morning and evening commute to get to know our new neighborhood.

Our new office is just west of the Chelsea Historic District [PDF], where the beautiful Greek Revival townhouses of Cushman Row encourage pedestrians to stop and smell the proverbial roses. Or in this case, the literal ones.

This photo, taken yesterday, shows the roses that are now blooming along the gates of the General Theological Seminary on 20th Street. The gothic-looking Seminary, built on land donated by Clement Clarke Moore, is a beautiful oasis of greenery, and a great place to check out if you’re in the neighborhood.

Tomorrow, a group of eighth-grade students from the Lab School will be leading the way… in brightly-colored “chalk shoes.” Brooklyn-based artist Julia Mandle will lead student performers through the streets of the Meatpacking District and Chelsea, in a performance commissioned by Friends of the High Line. As the students shuffle through the neighborhood on their platform-height “chalk shoes,” they will leave a green path on the sidewalks that will lead to the High Line’s future access points.
The weather promises to be gorgeous, so stop by the neighborhood between 12:30 and 1:30 pm, and check out the performance. Or, come to the Leo Kesting Gallery, where the Chalk Shoes will be on display with a video of the performance. The exhibition will be on display from May 15th-21st, during Meatpacking District Design Week.

New (and for some, suggestively shaped) concrete bollards are being installed on Ninth Avenue between Little West 12th and West 13th Street, as part of an ongoing new measure to calm traffic and make the streets of the Meatpacking District friendlier to pedestrians. The intersection has long been a kind of car-and-pedestrian free-for-all.

In some ways, Chelsea in 1986 in not so different from what it is today. Sure, the neighborhood has changed and evolved in many ways, but it has also remained a diverse community of people, activities, and uses. The preservation and reuse of High Line adds another interesting element to the rich history of Chelsea and when Section 1 of the High Line opens later this year, the neighborhood will evolve yet again. Photos courtesy Department of City Planning.

The MTA announced today that it has selected Tishman Speyer as the developer for the West Side Rail Yards. This announcement ends a 6-month bidding process, which originally involved 5 competing developers. Tishman Speyer outbid the only other remaining contender– a joint venture between the Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Trust– by $112 million, offering to pay $1.004 billion for the rights to develop the 26-acre site.

Tishman Speyer’s initial bid plan for the rail yards can be seen here. The developer is working with architect Helmut Jahn, landscape architect Peter Walker, and master planner Cooper Robertson. They plan to build 10 million square feet of commercial space, 3 million square feet of residential and leave 13 acres of open space.

Given the sudden change in gubernatorial administration, many thought the rail yards bid process would be delayed, so the MTA’s announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise. Tishman Speyer’s anchor tenant, Morgan Stanley, reportedly dropped out of the deal earlier this month.

Tishman Speyer’s plan preserves most of the High Line, but proposes to demolish the spur over Tenth Avenue, and part of the section along 30th Street.

Statement regarding the MTA’s selection of Tishman Speyer as the developer for the West Side Rail Yards

Friends of the High Line commends the MTA’s, Governor Paterson’s, and Tishman Speyer’s commitment to preserving the majority of the historic High Line structure at the rail yards, and we look forward to working with all parties to ensure that the remaining sections– the spur over Tenth Avenue and the full section along 30th Street– are preserved as well.

The treatment of the High Line in Tishman Speyer’s bid shows considerable progress from the days when it was presumed the site could not be developed without its demolition. We applaud the MTA, Governor Paterson, and Tishman Speyer for their recognition of the High Line as an asset. We are encouraged that they now share our vision of a continuous walkway, connecting the new residential, commercial and open space at the rail yards with the gallery district of West Chelsea and south to Gansevoort Street, that will be the next great city public park for New Yorkers and visitors alike.

We look forward to working with Tishman Speyer and the MTA to ensure full preservation of the entire historic High Line structure, including the spur over Tenth Avenue– almost 1/3 of the rail yards section. Additionally, we hope to work with the leadership of the Javits Center to ensure that a pedestrian easement is preserved on the 33/34 block, north of the rail yards site, so that the High Line may extend to connect with the Javits Center and the planned #7 extension.

We owe a great deal of our success so far in this process to the tireless support of our elected officials: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Governor David Paterson, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Borough President Scott Stringer, and State Senator Tom Duane, as well as the advocacy efforts of Manhattan Community Board 4, and our Friends of the High Line volunteers and supporters. Our rail yards advocacy would not be possible without the generous financial support of the A.G. Foundation, the Greenacre Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, John and Wendy Neu, and Wendy Keys and Donald Pels.

Searching for a downtown alternative to the Armory show this weekend? Look no further than Pier 40, which will house the PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, exhibiting works in all media from over 70 international galleries.

When you’re there, check out the Artware Editions (Booth F-5). Artware is a gallery in the West Village that specializes in functional objects and furniture designed by artists. We are excited to be working with Artware to create artist-designed objects inspired (and some made with actual artifacts from) the High Line. Stay tuned for more info on those. Below, one of their pieces for the fair entitled Twin Table by Richard Roth.